The Most Dangerous Man in America

Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, concludes that the war is based on decades of lies and leaks 7,000 pages of top secret documents to The New York Times, making headlines around the world.

The Most Dangerous Man in America is a riveting story of how one man's profound change of heart created a landmark struggle involving America's newspapers, president and Supreme Court-- a political thriller whose events led directly to Watergate, Nixon's resignation and the end of the Vietnam War.

"A great teaching tool! The Pentagon Papers controversy remains the key test of press freedom vs. national security and this film brilliantly lays out the competing claims with a rare combination of objectivity and passion." Robert Scheer, Journalist and Professor of Communications, University of Southern California

Comments (3)

Olivia

Kanopy Staff•10 months ago

I have heard a lot about the Pentagon Papers but never understood what a significant role Ellsberg has played in fundamentally changing the way government controls the media. Not only factually fascinating, this documentary had me gripping the edge of my seat with fear and anticipation. An ...Read more

I have heard a lot about the Pentagon Papers but never understood what a significant role Ellsberg has played in fundamentally changing the way government controls the media. Not only factually fascinating, this documentary had me gripping the edge of my seat with fear and anticipation. An excellent work that it now more relevant that ever.

We shouldn't need whistleblowers to protect us, but apparently we do! There is a direct line from the subject of this film - Daniel Ellsberg - to Edward Snowden, and with neither Trump, Clinton nor the mainstream media addressing issues of unnecessary and illegal government secrecy, ...Read more

We shouldn't need whistleblowers to protect us, but apparently we do! There is a direct line from the subject of this film - Daniel Ellsberg - to Edward Snowden, and with neither Trump, Clinton nor the mainstream media addressing issues of unnecessary and illegal government secrecy, documentaries such as this are more essential than ever.

Ellsberg received the 2016 Dresden Peace Prize earlier this year, and, at his award ceremony, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, on a 20-foot screen on Skype hookup from his asylum in Russia, said to an auditorium full of people:
‘It is not an exaggeration to say that without a Daniel ...Read more

Ellsberg received the 2016 Dresden Peace Prize earlier this year, and, at his award ceremony, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, on a 20-foot screen on Skype hookup from his asylum in Russia, said to an auditorium full of people:
‘It is not an exaggeration to say that without a Daniel Ellsberg there could not have been an Edward Snowden. I watched The Most Dangerous Man in America the year before I came forward [as whistleblower]. And Dan’s example, seeing what he did, seeing the choices that he faced, seeing how he struggled with the same moral complexities that I myself was unable to resolve, helped me see that there was a model that was established… [and I] came to the conclusion that it is not enough to recognize that something is wrong, it is not enough to simply raise a complaint. We have not just the right, but the moral obligation, to ourselves and our societies, if we have the capability to do something, to achieve a positive result, for our families and the futures of our countries.’
When I heard that, it sent chills up my spine: a testament to the power of documentary film.

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